I love my dog. He is a sheltie. If you are not familiar with the breed, he looks like a small collie. He understands English! He has toys, some for outside and inside. We come in the house and I say "leave it out here," he drops it and runs in the house. How smart is that? He knows that if I'm putting water in the big green "Gain" detergent bottle, I'm going outside to feed chickens and I will kick the ball. He starts jumping around and whining. "Come on mom lets go, lets go, lets go!
Husband has always had dogs, mostly for hunting but some very special. He's not a cat person. He hates cats. (You know where this is going). Husband is out of town. We have talked about our problem with mice in the garage in the winter time. So... there's a kitten in the bathroom. I have done all the preliminary data collection. It's name is "Trapper". It's in the little bathroom, where it can stay until I'm sure it's litter box trained. I have provided "Trapper" with mouse like toys. I really want to tell my husband that I found it in the driveway, I won't tell him it came out of a pet carrier! ...farm living is the life for me!
One foot in the city, one foot rural.
I was raised in the city, if you can call any town in Kansas, "city". I always believed rural people were more down to earth, friendlier, more sincere. My husband's brother lives in Portland, Oregon. Definitely a big city. He has lung cancer. My husband (a rural person), has gone to him to visit possibly for the last time. Hospice, friends, family have visited his brother with well wishes, good food, good memories. They invite him to birthday parties, and to the pub . People are the same everywhere, friendly, giving, sincere and supportive. Doesn't matter where you live, you just have to surround yourself with people for you, and for them.
We had rain last night!!! We've had 100 degree temps. last 2 weeks. It was nice to sleep to the sounds of rain and distant thunder. Got an inch of rain! Alpacas don't look in my direction this morning. They are quite happy with the weather. We have only 9 'pacas at the ranch right now. Two are off being bred. We are very excited about the breedings. Breeding alpacas is like breeding cows. You are trying to improve the next generation. There are so many things to consider. You want the next generation to have better fleece, better shape, more cooperative and breed well. It's like dealing cards and you hope the "cria" (a baby alpaca), gets the best hand possible. I watch them, trying not to interfere with their family gatherings and they look at me and say "Watch Out! The human is standing at the gate".
The chickens have picked up a little. They gifted me with 7 eggs last night. We also have Chinese Golden pheasants. They can have fertilized eggs. I have left the females sitting on eggs. Our usually diligent female was off her nest last night. I confiscated her eggs. Started to bury them and they exploded all over me with a putrid odor. Cleaned alpaca poop, fed the chickens and then a rotten egg explodes on me, guess it's time for a shower. ...farm living is the life for me!
We had rain last night!!! We've had 100 degree temps. last 2 weeks. It was nice to sleep to the sounds of rain and distant thunder. Got an inch of rain! Alpacas don't look in my direction this morning. They are quite happy with the weather. We have only 9 'pacas at the ranch right now. Two are off being bred. We are very excited about the breedings. Breeding alpacas is like breeding cows. You are trying to improve the next generation. There are so many things to consider. You want the next generation to have better fleece, better shape, more cooperative and breed well. It's like dealing cards and you hope the "cria" (a baby alpaca), gets the best hand possible. I watch them, trying not to interfere with their family gatherings and they look at me and say "Watch Out! The human is standing at the gate".
The chickens have picked up a little. They gifted me with 7 eggs last night. We also have Chinese Golden pheasants. They can have fertilized eggs. I have left the females sitting on eggs. Our usually diligent female was off her nest last night. I confiscated her eggs. Started to bury them and they exploded all over me with a putrid odor. Cleaned alpaca poop, fed the chickens and then a rotten egg explodes on me, guess it's time for a shower. ...farm living is the life for me!
June 26, 2009
When I first heard of Michael Jackson's death last night I ran out to tell the alpacas. They "pretended" not to know who I was talking about!
I planted my garden late. We've already harvested the radishes. The variety was terribly HOT! I'll try another variety. The corn looks good and healthy but not tall. Tomatoes are the same. I changed the feed for the chickens. They had been presenting us 6-8/day, I only got one last night. A couple chickens are sitting on unfertilized eggs. I didn't want to hassle with a rooster last year so we only got hens. Don't have the frequent crowing or fertilized eggs to be given away. I gather each evening so there would never be a developed egg.
We sheared alpacas in May. We have two trash bags of fleece per animal. 22 bags of fleece in our spare room. Some will be sent back east to buy alpaca products. Now I need to decide amount and color to send to the mill. I would like to try my hand at making a vest or a purse or both out of alpaca felt. I have an alpaca cookie cutter to needle felt an alpaca on to the felt.
It is around 100 degrees here in Kansas. The alpacas have a carport to park under when it is this hot, for shade. But then they lay out on the ground in the sun?! I know they are really intelligent animals but...?
I planted my garden late. We've already harvested the radishes. The variety was terribly HOT! I'll try another variety. The corn looks good and healthy but not tall. Tomatoes are the same. I changed the feed for the chickens. They had been presenting us 6-8/day, I only got one last night. A couple chickens are sitting on unfertilized eggs. I didn't want to hassle with a rooster last year so we only got hens. Don't have the frequent crowing or fertilized eggs to be given away. I gather each evening so there would never be a developed egg.
We sheared alpacas in May. We have two trash bags of fleece per animal. 22 bags of fleece in our spare room. Some will be sent back east to buy alpaca products. Now I need to decide amount and color to send to the mill. I would like to try my hand at making a vest or a purse or both out of alpaca felt. I have an alpaca cookie cutter to needle felt an alpaca on to the felt.
It is around 100 degrees here in Kansas. The alpacas have a carport to park under when it is this hot, for shade. But then they lay out on the ground in the sun?! I know they are really intelligent animals but...?
June 22, 2009 My first blog!
My first blog!
We share our little bit of the country with 11 alpacas, 9 chickens, 7 chinese golden pheasants and the obligatory dog. Sometimes the things I think they say to me are worth repeating. Like when I pick up to the tail of a soon to deliver pregnant alpaca and she turns her head around and looks at me and says, "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT"! Or when we are trying to get a hen off her clutch of non-fertilized eggs and she flaps her wings at me as if to say "YOU HOME WRECKER!! I have a garden I am struggling with. I try not to use chemicals on it only hard work.
I am really a former city girl and I sometimes find myself in over my head. I have ran outside, at night, in my nightgown, to the alpaca boys paddock to break up a fight between the boys only to find they have instantly stopped and are just looking at me with smirks on their faces. Last night I cleaned eggs out of the pheasant pen. Thinking I would bring in the eggs for the dog, (he likes an egg on his food) I put them on the tailgait of the truck, accidently cracking one. I walked away and was looking at the garden and came back and something smelled horrid! My husband says "you better bury those eggs" I gladly dug the hole and buried them deep.
In the beginning of our alpaca adventure , we only had one small paddock for three or four animals. We had pregnant girls in with teenage boys. I was inside when one boy tried to... , with our pregnant female. I started screaming at him, and trying to pull him off her without endangering our girl! The neighbors heard my screams and came running thinking I was in some kind of trouble. They barred the door and I got hold of him, haltered him, and walked him to his own man cave. We now have the boys area and the girls area.
So anyway this is my first blog. I'm excited about sharing my country lane.
We share our little bit of the country with 11 alpacas, 9 chickens, 7 chinese golden pheasants and the obligatory dog. Sometimes the things I think they say to me are worth repeating. Like when I pick up to the tail of a soon to deliver pregnant alpaca and she turns her head around and looks at me and says, "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT"! Or when we are trying to get a hen off her clutch of non-fertilized eggs and she flaps her wings at me as if to say "YOU HOME WRECKER!! I have a garden I am struggling with. I try not to use chemicals on it only hard work.
I am really a former city girl and I sometimes find myself in over my head. I have ran outside, at night, in my nightgown, to the alpaca boys paddock to break up a fight between the boys only to find they have instantly stopped and are just looking at me with smirks on their faces. Last night I cleaned eggs out of the pheasant pen. Thinking I would bring in the eggs for the dog, (he likes an egg on his food) I put them on the tailgait of the truck, accidently cracking one. I walked away and was looking at the garden and came back and something smelled horrid! My husband says "you better bury those eggs" I gladly dug the hole and buried them deep.
In the beginning of our alpaca adventure , we only had one small paddock for three or four animals. We had pregnant girls in with teenage boys. I was inside when one boy tried to... , with our pregnant female. I started screaming at him, and trying to pull him off her without endangering our girl! The neighbors heard my screams and came running thinking I was in some kind of trouble. They barred the door and I got hold of him, haltered him, and walked him to his own man cave. We now have the boys area and the girls area.
So anyway this is my first blog. I'm excited about sharing my country lane.
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